Ball and socket joints are used in a variety of applications including: rack and pinion inner tie rod socket assemblies, steering knuckles, drag links, and connecting rod assemblies. Such joints typically include a cylindrical housing member for receiving a bearing together with a head of a ball stud. Some of the known joints have ball studs having two different sized spherical members, however such joints usually have two piece bearings, each bearing designed to engage a respective one of the spherical members.
However, there are several drawbacks with the known two piece bearing designs. In two piece bearings, the probability for misalignment of one bearing relative to the other can result in increased wear and decreased service life. Two piece bearings must be larger in size to achieve effective pre-loading, resulting in a higher profile joint. Higher profile joints are not desired when clearances are minimal. Also, two piece bearings increase the number of parts in a ball and socket joint and thereby increase inventory costs and assembly costs. Therefore, there is a need for a low profile ball and socket joint that avoids the drawbacks of two piece bearing designs.